If you’re looking for a bit of running inspiration, look no further than Fredelyn Alberto. Despite limited resources and time, she’s gone from zero to one of Asia’s top trail runners in only three short years.
This domestic helper from Isabela in northern Philippines arrived in Hong Kong in 2013, and only started hitting the trails with friends in 2016. Her first race was the King of the Hills Sai Kung Half Marathon and, soon enough, her casual weekend hikes turned into a trail running obsession - and that infectious smile at so many races!
Fredelyn has struggled to find the time to train and generally manages only 50km per week (as she only finished studying in 2018 and only had Sundays free with her last employer), but has been gradually building up to the longer distances. She's worked hard on her mental strength and incorporating some recovery between races to help prevent injuries.
And it’s working – with wins at Gurkha Trailblazer and GreenRace Ultra in Hong Kong, and The Moon 100 in Thailand, she has rocketed into second place in the Asia Trail Master series.
T8: Fredelyn, what’s your favourite race so far?
Fredelyn: Definitely the 9 Dragons 50 Miler. I loved the course and it was amazing to hold on for second despite suffering a lot with a bad knee.
T8: And what about the Moon 100? We heard that was one helluva tough race.
Fredelyn: You’re not wrong! It’s my toughest race so far. Everything was so painful in that race but my T8 ice bandana definitely helped to keep me cool in the heat.
T8: Looking forward, what are your dream races?
Fredelyn: It was really sad that our Pearl of the Orient team couldn’t race with Trailwalker getting cancelled, but I’m really excited about running UTMF next year.
T8: And how about some parting advice for our big trail running community?
Fredelyn: I’d like to send the message that if you dream to be a good runner, you have to be love what you are doing, and be friendly to everyone :)
Photo credit: Asia Trail Master